The other night I ended up making a really easy nom-tastic dinner using a bunch of vegetables I’d had at home (plus a few I picked up in addition). It was nothing too crazy, just a simple pasta dish but I really enjoyed it. Not only was it delicious but it totally reminded me of when I used to live in Florence and practically lived of pasta and fresh produce. I’d always make up easy pasta dishes like this one. Enjoy!

Asparagus

Onions

Mushrooms

Sun-dried Tomatoes

Whole Garlic Cloves

Artichoke Hearts

Pappardelle Pasta

Pesto

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Shredded Mozzarella

In terms of portions, you can sort of decide how much of the veggies you want to use depending on how much you are making. I used about one to two cups of each ingredient, which ended up making enough of this dish to last the whole week. If you are only making a single serving, use less, and save the rest of the ingredients for another day.

1. First, start boiling some water! Next? Dice all the vegetables (except the artichoke hearts, you can cut those in half or fourths). Take the asparagus and onions and cook them in a pan with olive oil over medium heat for ten minutes.

2. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms to the already cooking onions and asparagus and let cook for 10 minutes. Be sure to continue stirring so the vegetables cook evenly. In a separate pan cook garlic cloves in olive oil over medium heat.

3. Add the artichoke hearts to the already cooking vegetables, and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes.

*By this point your water should be boiling and your pasta should be cooking. When it’s done, strain it and put it back in the original pot.

4. When the pasta is ready, I like to add some pesto for flavor. I usually use just a little, but feel free to go nuts.Then combine the roasted garlic and sauteed vegetables with the pasta and stir evenly.